Top 10 African Clubs with Highest Active Fanbase in 2025

In Summary

• Africa’s top 10 football clubs collectively boast over 150 million followers in 2025, reflecting the continent’s deep football culture and expanding digital fan engagement.
• Leading clubs like Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Simba, Yanga, Raja, and Wydad Athletic Club drive billion-dollar football economies through broadcasting, merchandising, and tourism, strengthening national and regional markets.
• The rise of African fanbases not only highlights sporting passion but also the digital transformation and global visibility of African football, positioning it as a major force in the global sports industry.

Deep Dive!!

Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, November 4th 2025 — Africa’s football culture continues to thrive in 2025, with fanbases that rival and, in some cases, surpass those of major European clubs in scale and passion. Across the continent, social media metrics, stadium attendances, and merchandise sales have become reliable indicators of how deeply football is woven into national identity. According to Capital Radio’s 2025 Fan Metrics Report, Africa’s top 10 football clubs collectively command more than 150 million combined followers across digital platforms, a figure that reflects both the growth of the sport’s digital economy and its emotional hold on millions of supporters.

At the heart of this surge are clubs like Al-Ahly SC and Zamalek SC of Egypt, Raja Casablanca and Wydad AC of Morocco, and Simba SC and Yanga SC of Tanzania, whose popularity extends far beyond their national borders. These clubs are not only sporting institutions but also powerful cultural and economic brands. Their fan-driven economies sustain thriving markets in broadcasting, merchandising, and tourism. For instance, Egypt’s football industry alone was valued at over $1.9 billion in 2025, with its leading clubs accounting for a significant share of that ecosystem. Similarly, East Africa’s “Kariakoo Derby” between Simba and Yanga has become one of the continent’s most commercially lucrative fixtures, attracting millions of viewers across multiple countries.

The 2025 rankings reveal much more than numbers; they illustrate the growing professionalization and digital transformation of African football. Clubs are now investing in content creation, fan engagement, and global partnerships to extend their reach. As CAF’s 2025 Commercial Insight Report notes, “The rise of African fanbases represents not only sporting pride but also the continent’s expanding entertainment and economic footprint.” From the streets of Cairo to the markets of Dar es Salaam, football remains Africa’s most unifying language, and the clubs that lead this charge are shaping the continent’s sporting and cultural identity for decades to come.

10. Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)

Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) remains one of North Africa’s most influential clubs, combining deep on-the-pitch success with a sizeable regional and diaspora following. Social-media aggregators and sports lists put the club’s total digital reach in the low millions (one 2025 compilation cited roughly 4.4 million followers across major platforms), while EST’s own official channels and ultras networks continue to produce very high engagement for matchdays and continental fixtures. That fan depth matters: in Tunisia, a country where football dominates mass media, clubs with national reach drive merchandising, match-day revenue, and broadcast interest in ways that punch above the country’s modest market size.

Quantifying the broader market, Tunisia’s sports sector is now the focus of formal market research and commercialisation efforts, with industry reports tracking growing revenues across team sponsorships, media rights and merchandise. Specialized market studies (e.g., Tunisia sports market outlooks) document expanding spending on professional sports and ancillary services, while EST itself has moved to corporatise revenue flows: the club’s parent, Taraji Holding, prepared an equity listing in 2024–25 as part of a broader strategy to monetise the fanbase and professionalise finances. Wikipedia’s historical budget notes (50 million Tunisian dinars for 2022–23, roughly €16m) illustrate the club’s scale relative to the national market and help explain why EST is a commercial bellwether for Tunisian football.

Economically, Esperance’s contribution extends beyond direct ticket sales. The club sustains suppliers, merchandisers and media contractors, and its continental profile draws broadcast and sponsorship dollars into the Tunisian football ecosystem. Recent media coverage around the Taraji Holding listing underlined this point: moving to the stock exchange is explicitly aimed at diversifying income and attracting institutional investors, actions that, if successful, would both increase the club’s balance-sheet capacity and create spillovers for academies, local vendors and youth development programs. As one industry brief noted, EST’s commercial evolution is a test case for how African clubs can translate fan engagement into sustainable, investable business models.

9. Wydad AC (Morocco)

Wydad Athletic Club’s standing in 2025 is built on a solid digital footprint and deep local roots: social-media aggregators list the Casablanca giants at roughly 5.8 million followers across major platforms, a figure that places them firmly among North Africa’s most supported teams and underscores the club’s broad Maghreb and diaspora reach. That digital reach sits inside a Moroccan club ecosystem whose combined market value (Botola clubs)registers in the low-hundreds of millions of euros on Transfermarkt,a measurable commercial base that gives Wydad scale when it comes to sponsorship, broadcast attention and merchandise monetisation.

On the ground, Wydad converts that following into economic activity. The club’s home fixtures are played at Stade Mohammed V, a historic Casablanca arena with a listed capacity of about 45,000 after recent upgrades, and matchdays generate supply-chain activity across ticketing, retail, transport and local hospitality. Transfermarket’s valuation places Wydad’s squad market value in the mid-teens of millions of euros (circa €16–17m), giving a tangible indicator of squad asset value for transfer markets and commercial bargaining; marquee moves (and returns of high-profile internationals) further spike interest and revenue opportunities.

Leading players and recent signings illustrate how on-field quality feeds off fan engagement. Wydad’s 2024–25 squad mixes domestic stars and experienced internationals, and the club’s ability to attract names, exemplified by the 2025 arrival of Hakim Ziyech, announced with the club’s jubilant greeting “The wizard is here, Ziyech at Wydad”, demonstrates both sporting ambition and commercial signalling to sponsors and broadcasters. The squad’s market value, youth pipeline and continental performances (regular CAF Champions League contention) keep Wydad central to Morocco’s football narrative and make it a frequent target for regional and European scouts.

8. Young Africans SC (Tanzania)

Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga) has evolved from a historic Dar es Salaam institution into one of East Africa’s most commercially significant football brands. A 2025 social-media benchmark placed Yanga among Africa’s fastest-growing digital presences (roughly 6–6.4 million followers across major platforms in compilation lists), reflecting intense domestic support and expanding regional reach across East Africa and the diaspora. This digital scale underpins commercial leverage: recent sponsorship activity, most notably renewed deals with gaming and betting firms, totals multi-billion-TZS agreements that materially supplement match-day and membership revenues and demonstrate how social reach now converts into headline commercial contracts.

Quantifying the football market around Yanga shows both opportunity and strain. Tanzania’s football federation budget rose sharply to 56.31 billion TZS for 2025, signalling stronger institutional support for the game and higher upstream spending on competitions and governance. At club level, Yanga disclosed an ambitious 33.7 billion TZS budget for the 2025/26 season, reflecting rising wage, operations and competition costs even as the club forecasts significant income from sponsorships, broadcasting and prize funds. Yet financial volatility is real: the club reported a Sh1.1 billion loss for 2023/24, underscoring that high fan engagement and big sponsorship headlines must be balanced against operating economics to sustain long-term growth.

On the sporting front, Yanga’s on-field product and talent pipeline remain central to its economic case. The squad combines domestic stalwarts and selected internationals, players such as Bakari Mwamnyeto, Ibrahim Hamad and goalkeepers like Khomeiny Abubakar and Djigui Diarra featured in 2024/25 squad lists, which maintain supporter passion and deliver prize income via league titles and CAF competition runs. These performances matter commercially: prize money, broadcast shares and continental visibility amplify sponsorship value and merch turnover, while a credible youth pipeline supports long-term transfer revenue potential for the club. Transfermarkt and squad registries show Yanga’s roster depth and the club’s reliance on both homegrown development and selective external recruitment.

7. Orlando Pirates (South Africa)

Orlando Pirates remain one of southern Africa’s most commercially and culturally powerful clubs, buoyed by a substantial digital footprint, dataset compilations in 2025 place the club’s total social-media reach in the multi-millions (roughly 7.1 million followers across platforms in one public compilation) and show rapidly rising engagement on match days and continental fixtures. That online scale complements a large local supporter base concentrated in Soweto and Gauteng, where Orlando Stadium (capacity ~36,700) regularly converts passion into ticket sales, match-day spend and informal local commerce. High engagement levels also translate into strong sponsorship interest: Pirates carry multiple headline partners and activation deals that keep the club commercially relevant across the region.

On a balance-sheet level, Orlando Pirates sit among Africa’s better-valued clubs. Market-value trackers and commercial listings put the club’s squad value in the low tens of millions of euros (Transfermarkt reports a squad market value in the €20–24m band), and independent club-valuation roundups rank Pirates as one of the continent’s top commercial entities with estimated enterprise values in the mid-tens of millions of dollars. Those valuations reflect earned revenues from sponsorship, broadcast share of the PSL, merchandise and moderate player-trading activity rather than the huge global incomes seen by top European clubs.

The wider South African football market provides the economic context that underpins Pirates’ commercial performance. The Premier Soccer League remains Africa’s most commercially successful domestic competition, with the league’s broadcast and commercial ecosystem (PSL media rights and sponsorship pools) materially larger than most African peers, and sector analysts estimate structured football revenues and market activity in the country at multi-tens of millions of USD annually. That environment creates opportunities for clubs like Orlando Pirates to monetize fan engagement through TV income, matchday economies, and regional sponsorships, while also exposing them to market pressures: high wage bills, competition for sponsorship, and the need to sustain on-field success to protect revenue streams.

6. Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa)

Kaizer Chiefs sit at the commercial and cultural centre of South African football, buoyed by one of the continent’s largest supporter communities, social-media compilations in 2025 place the club’s digital reach at roughly 8–9 million followers across major platforms, reflecting a pan-South African and diaspora following that translates into strong match-day attendance, merchandise demand and high broadcast engagement. That scale gives the Chiefs genuine bargaining power with sponsors and broadcasters: the Premier Soccer League (PSL) reported record broadcast revenues in recent seasons and the league’s aggregate revenues topped the one-billion-rand mark in 2024, creating a commercial environment in which large clubs can monetise fan reach more effectively than elsewhere on the continent.

Putting a monetary frame around the market, independent research estimates the South African football market (measured by organised league revenues, sponsorship and related commercial activity) at tens of millions of U.S. dollars annually, IMARC’s 2024 industry overview, for example, values the domestic football market around USD 29.9 million with forecasts for steady growth, while league-level broadcast and sponsorship deals create concentrated revenue pools that top clubs access through prize money, TV shares and commercial partnerships. For Kaizer Chiefs specifically, Transfermarkt’s aggregated squad-market figures put the club’s player market value in the low-double-digit millions of euros (total squad market value ~ €11–12m), and club-valuation roundups commonly place Chiefs among South Africa’s most valuable teams (estimates vary by methodology).

The economic impact of Kaizer Chiefs extends well beyond ticket sales. Match days at venues such as FNB Stadium and local fixtures generate spillovers for transport, hospitality, retail and informal vendors; the club’s merchandising and licensing also support domestic manufacturers and media contractors. Internally, Chiefs’ leadership has emphasised professionalisation as a revenue priority, the club’s chairman framed 2024 as a year of raising standards, saying the organisation remains “committed to elevating the standards of Kaizer Chiefs,” language that signals ongoing efforts to convert fan passion into structured commercial programmes such as subscriptions, academy monetisation and corporate partnerships.

5. Simba SC (Tanzania)

Simba Sports Club’s rise as an East African powerhouse is visible both online and in the stadium. Social-media compilations in 2025 place Simba’s digital reach in the low-millions, a footprint that, combined with strong domestic match-day followings, underpins the club’s commercial appeal across Tanzania and the wider region. That scale sits inside a national football economy receiving renewed investment: the Tanzania Football Federation approved a TZS 56.31 billion budget for 2025, signalling bigger institutional spending on competitions, governance and commercialisation that benefits flagship clubs like Simba.

On-the-ground economics illustrate Simba’s direct contribution to local value chains. High-profile derby fixtures, notably Simba vs Young Africans, still pack major venues and generate substantial match-day revenues; a notable derby in 2023 drew 53,569 paying spectators and produced receipts in the hundreds of millions of shillings, demonstrating how single fixtures can spark meaningful short-term cashflow for clubs, vendors and local hospitality businesses. Beyond one-off matches, consistent home attendances and regional away followings create regular demand for transport, retail and informal trade on matchdays, generating employment and local economic activity around Dar es Salaam.

Commercially, Simba is translating fan momentum into headline sponsorship and growing balance-sheet capacity. Transfermarkt data show the club’s squad market value and professional profile (useful proxies for commercial bargaining power), while recent reporting confirms multi-year sponsorship deals, including reported landmark agreements in 2025 worth tens of billions of Tanzanian shillings, that materially boost operating budgets and enable investment in player recruitment, academy development and infrastructure. Those deals both reflect and reinforce Simba’s regional pull, making the club a major vehicle for brand exposure across East Africa’s roughly 300-million-person market.

4. Raja Club Athletic (Morocco)

Raja Club Athletic’s 2025 profile blends passionate grassroots support with a rapidly growing digital footprint: one 2025 social-media aggregation places the club at roughly 12.7 million followers across major platforms, a reach that positions Raja among the continent’s most followed teams and amplifies its value well beyond Morocco’s already sizeable club market (the Botola’s combined club ecosystem is typically valued in the low-hundreds of millions of euros). This digital scale translates into measurable commercial leverage, stronger sponsorship bids, higher merchandise demand and greater bargaining power for media rights, and it helps explain why Raja repeatedly ranks alongside North Africa’s biggest brands despite operating in a league with more modest broadcast revenues than Europe’s top competitions.

Economically, Raja’s impact is tangible at both local and national levels. Matchdays at Casablanca command large attendances that drive ticketing receipts, informal commerce and hospitality income; continental fixtures in the CAF Champions League generate outsized broadcast and sponsorship interest that flows back into club operations and local service industries. Beyond immediate match-day effects, Raja’s success fuels a regional sports economy: merchandising suppliers, local broadcasters and marketing agencies all benefit when the club performs well and sustains high engagement. As a bellwether for Moroccan club football, Raja helps attract corporate partners into the Botola, a vital step for professionalizing finances across the league.

On the talent side, Raja’s academy and scouting networks remain core assets. The club consistently promotes young players into the first team and facilitates transfers abroad, creating a steady pipeline of player-sales revenue and reputational capital. Analysts point to Raja’s diaspora reach, particularly in France and Belgium, as a commercial and scouting advantage: European clubs monitor Raja closely for technical, relatively low-cost talent, and those transfers both validate the club’s development model and provide funds that can be reinvested into facilities and youth programms. In short, Raja is not only a fan-network phenomenon but an export engine that helps monetize Morocco’s broader football value chain.

3. Zamalek SC (Egypt)

Zamalek Sporting Club remains one of Africa’s most iconic football brands, with a 2025 reported following of around 20.6 million fans across major social platforms, according to Capital Radio Analytics. This massive fanbase places Zamalek firmly among the continent’s top four clubs by reach, trailing only Al Ahly, Raja Casablanca, and Esperance in some rankings. The club’s historic dominance, including five CAF Champions League titles and consistent domestic contention, has built a multi-generational base of loyalty across Egypt and the wider Arab world. Egypt’s football market, valued at over $1.2 billion by Statista (2025), benefits significantly from such mega-clubs, whose combined media and sponsorship appeal drives local broadcast revenues and national brand investments in sports marketing.

Economically, Zamalek’s influence extends beyond the pitch. The club is a major employer, directly and indirectly supporting hundreds of jobs in Cairo through matchday operations, merchandising, and hospitality services. Its matches at the Cairo International Stadium consistently draw tens of thousands, generating substantial economic ripple effects, from transport and street vendors to television production and advertising. In 2024, Zamalek’s sponsorship portfolio was reported to exceed $15 million annually, driven by deals with Egyptian and regional brands seeking exposure to its vast audience. Analysts at African Business Insights (2025) note that Zamalek’s brand value, enhanced by digital engagement growth of more than 18% year-on-year, represents a vital cultural and economic asset within Egypt’s expanding sports economy.

Zamalek’s broader regional and digital appeal continues to strengthen Egypt’s image as a continental football powerhouse. The club’s growing online engagement in North Africa and the Middle East has opened the door for cross-border sponsorships and partnerships, particularly with Gulf-based investors. As CAF President Patrice Motsepe observed in 2025, “Egyptian clubs like Zamalek and Al Ahly remain the benchmark for professional structures and fan engagement on the continent.” Yet, sustaining this success requires stronger financial governance and deeper monetization of fan engagement, particularly through digital memberships, branded merchandise, and international streaming. Nonetheless, with its immense following, deep cultural resonance, and proven success, Zamalek SC stands as both a sporting and economic titan, symbolizing the enduring power of football as an engine for national pride and economic activity in Africa.

2. Young Africans SC (Yanga)

Young Africans SC (Yanga) has emerged as one of Africa’s most influential football brands in 2025, reflecting East Africa’s broader rise in football commercialization and fandom. According to Kapital Radio (2025), Yanga boasts an estimated 24 million fans across Tanzania and the wider East African region, making it the second most-followed club in Africa after Al Ahly. This meteoric rise is driven by the club’s domestic dominance, back-to-back Tanzanian Premier League titles, and strong performances in continental competitions like the CAF Confederation Cup. The Tanzanian football market itself is valued at over $500 million in 2025 (African Sports Market Report, 2025), supported by rising sponsorships, expanding media rights, and government investment in sports infrastructure, all of which Yanga has leveraged to strengthen its financial and cultural footprint.

Yanga’s fan engagement model has become a case study in sports marketing across Africa. The club’s large-scale use of digital media, membership platforms, and community-driven branding has cultivated loyalty among millions. In 2024, Yanga recorded a 70% surge in social media engagement, outpacing all East African rivals, including Simba SC. According to The Citizen (Tanzania, 2025), Yanga’s sponsorship deals, led by SportPesa and GSM Group, contributed over $10 million annually to club revenue, a figure unprecedented in East African football. This financial strength has allowed the club to modernize operations, improve player recruitment, and invest in merchandising, further driving Tanzania’s sports economy. As CAF’s 2025 Market Overview noted, Yanga’s success “demonstrates how East African football can generate both cultural influence and measurable economic value.”

Beyond financials, Yanga’s influence is socio-economic and deeply symbolic. The club serves as a national unifier, with massive stadium attendances that boost local commerce and tourism around matchdays. Economically, each home match at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium injects millions of Tanzanian shillings into Dar es Salaam’s local economy through hospitality, transport, and retail sectors. Moreover, Yanga’s participation in CAF tournaments enhances Tanzania’s international visibility, attracting foreign investment and promoting sports tourism. As Yanga president Hersi Said declared in 2025, “Our dream is to make Yanga not just Tanzania’s pride but a global football brand.” With a vast fanbase, strong governance, and growing commercial partnerships, Yanga stands at the forefront of Africa’s next phase of football-driven economic growth, solidifying East Africa’s place in the continental sports economy.

1. Al-Ahly SC (Egypt)

Al-Ahly Sporting Club of Egypt continues to stand as Africa’s most supported football club in 2025, with an estimated 57.7 million followers across digital and traditional media platforms, according to MediaZone.com.ng (2025). This massive fanbase, which spans Egypt’s 110 million population and extends deep into the global diaspora, cements Al-Ahly’s reputation as not only the “Club of the Century” but also one of the top 10 most-followed football institutions globally. The Egyptian sports economy itself is now valued at over $1.9 billion, as reported by Statista and the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports (2025), with football accounting for the majority of sports-related commercial revenue. Al-Ahly plays a crucial role in this landscape, driving ticket sales, sponsorships, and broadcast rights that generate both economic and cultural capital for Egypt.

From a commercial standpoint, Al-Ahly’s dominance translates into unmatched brand power in African football. The club’s annual revenue reportedly exceeded $45 million in 2024, fueled by partnerships with companies such as WE Telecom, Coca-Cola, and Umbro. This financial muscle allows Al-Ahly to maintain elite standards in training facilities, player recruitment, and digital outreach. A 2025 report by Mallams.ng highlighted that Al-Ahly’s social media presence grew by over 22% year-on-year, surpassing several European mid-tier clubs in engagement metrics. Beyond numbers, this growth signifies how Al-Ahly has turned its historic success, including 11 CAF Champions League titles, into a sustainable commercial engine. As Mahmoud El Khatib, the club’s president, stated in 2025, “Al-Ahly is not just a football club; it is an institution that represents the aspirations of millions of Egyptians and Africans.”

Economically, Al-Ahly’s influence extends beyond the stadium. Home matches at Cairo International Stadium draw average attendances of over 50,000 fans, stimulating local businesses in hospitality, retail, and transportation. Matchday activities are estimated to contribute millions of Egyptian pounds to Cairo’s economy annually. Moreover, the club’s regional dominance boosts Egypt’s visibility in global football markets, enhancing its soft power across the Arab world and Sub-Saharan Africa. The CAF Market Intelligence Report (2025) described Al-Ahly as “Africa’s prime example of how sporting excellence and economic modernization can intertwine to build a global brand.”

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